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It has long been rumored that the few rows of vines at the entrance to Chateau Ste. Michelle in Woodinville, Wash., were required so the winery could be called a "chateau."
PROSSER -- Construction is expected to start soon on the next phase of what backers say will be the state's premier educational and promotional center for Washington's wines and food products.
This week: Elk Cove Pinot Gris. Precept, Corus Brands merge. Remembering Bear Silverstein. Platinum winners. Madwine.com special. New feature: What we're reading. Wine funnies. Black Hills Estate Winery.
Jan. 19, 2010
Vol. 11, No. 3
Wine Press Northwest's Wine of the Week is an independent opinion based on double- and single-blind tastings.
Elk Cove Vineyards 2008 Pinot Gris
Appellation: Willamette Valley
Many in Oregon believe this vintage may rival the historic heights of 1999, and Adam Campbell's presentation of Pinot Gris appears as one of the first barometric readings. It's fruit-forward in the aromatics of tangerine and pineapple, joined by a perception of sweetness with candy corn, a beguiling puff of facial powder and some hints of barrel in almond extract. Prepare for an amazing explosion of blood orange and juicy apricot on the attack with a piece of Jolly Rancher green apple candy in the midpalate. What follows is a flourish to the finish with yellow grapefruit, a twist of lemon, a pinch of anise and banana. Rated "Outstanding" by Wine Press Northwest magazine.
Price: $19.
Cases produced: 14,200.
Food matches: This versatile white wine will pair well with halibut, scallops, ceviche or other seafood dishes.
Elk Cove Vineyard, 27751 N.W. Olson Road, Gaston, OR 97119, 503-985-7760, www.elkcove.com
-- Walla Walla Vintners 2007 Merlot, Walla Walla Valley
-- Scatter Creek Winery NV Frost Tease, Washington
-- Rigamarole Winery 2007 Red Wine, Okanagan Valley, $16 CDN
-- Hard Row to Hoe Vineyards 2008 Shameless Hussy Roussanne, Columbia Valley, $15
Elk Cove Vineyards near tiny Gaston, Ore., was our 2007 Pacific Northwest Winery of the Year - and for good reason. The Campbell family started the winery in the late 1970s and has been a foundation for what the Oregon wine industry has emerged as in the past decade.
Second-generation winemaker Adam Campbell joined the family operation 15 years ago, during which time Elk Cove has evolved and thus remained one of the state's finest producers of reds and whites. With nearly every wine it has released in recent years, Elk Cove has provided further proof that it is one of the Northwest's top wineries.
Precept Brands and Corus Estates joined forces earlier this month, turning two of the Northwest's largest and most visible wine companies into one even larger organization.
Corus Estates owns such wine brands as Zefina, Six Prong, Alder Ridge, Sawtooth and Battle Creek. Precept owns a dizzying array of wine labels, including Waterbrook, Washington Hills, Avery Lane and Pine & Post, as well as a part ownership in Willow Crest and Apex Cellars. It also distributes Magnificent Wine Co. and imports wine from Europe.
From an internal perspective, the merger makes sense, as the Baty family owns and operates Corus Estates, and Dan Baty is a part-owner of Precept. The connections go even deeper: When Corus owned Columbia Winery, Covey Run and Ste. Chapelle (before selling to Constellation), Andrew Browne was CEO. After the sale, Browne launched Precept (with Baty's backing) and quickly grew Precept into a huge success.
In 2009, Precept was a 600,000-case wine operation, making it Washington's largest privately held wine company. And its focus on value wines put the company in perfect position to take advantage of the national recession.
Separately, Corus and Precept were seriously big players in the Pacific Northwest wine scene. With the merger, Precept's importance grows even greater.
Read our article profiling the rise of Precept Brands.
Late last week, we received the sad news that Bear Silverstein, owner of West Seattle Wine Cellars, passed away from a number of health issues.
I judged with Bear on a number of occasions, both in Washington and California. Each time, I came away with greater insights on the world of wine, thanks to his knowledge and willingness to share.
Anyone who would like to share their thoughts and condolences with Bear's family may do so on CaringBridge.org.
The new Winter issue of Wine Press Northwest unveils the results of our 10th annual Platinum Judging, in which we invite wineries to send us their gold medal wines from the year for a "best of the best in the Great Northwest" competition.
Dusted Valley Vintners in Walla Walla, Wash., continues to impress us with its string of top red wines over the past several years. In our 10th annual Platinum Judging, Dusted Valley earned a unanimous Double Platinum for its 2006 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon and a Platinum for its 2007 Grenache.
Each week, I will highlight one of our Platinum winners.
MadWine.com, a Washington-based online retailer, is offering a special deal for Wine Press Northwest readers. Enter the coupon code "winepress" (without quotes) on your next order and get an additional 10% off.
MadWine.com has more than 5,000 wines for sale on its Web site, with nearly 1,000 from Washington and Oregon.
We are unveiling a new feature on the Northwest Wine of the Week newsletter: links to stories and blog posts we think you'll find interesting. In most cases, the stories will be related to Northwest wine, though on occasion we will include stories on cuisine or specialty foods.
Here are this week's stories:
Ste. Michelle Wine Estates has weathered a tough economy
Maison Bleue leaves Woodinville
What does 2010 hold for wine sales?
Meyer Lemons brighten dark winter days
Last week, most of you knew the mystery photo was taken in Oregon, and a large majority were able to correctly identify where.
In fact, 61% of you got it right when you voted for King Estate near Eugene. Meanwhile, 21% thought the photo showed Domaine Drouhin Oregon in Oregon's Dundee Hills, while 14% guessed Columbia Crest in Washington's Horse Heaven Hills and 5% wondered if it was Leonetti Cellar in the Walla Walla Valley.
This week's photo should provide an equally interesting challenge for you.
We have added a new cartoon to our "wine funnies" gallery.
Just across the Canadian border is Black Hills Estate Winery in British Columbia's Okanagan Valley. In this week's Northwest Winecast, Managing Editor Eric Degerman explores this award-winning winery.
You can watch the Northwest Winecast two ways (both free):
On our Web site:
On YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/WinePressnorthwest
Looking for a wine-related event? Click here for our Northwest wine events calendar.
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